Shadow of the Beautiful World

100. Where no one has gone before (Part 2)

The territory of the World Tree is a collective name for a group of stars.

The people of Shenyu call it the Nine Realms. In ancient times, when the Asgard civilization rose, there were legends about the World Tree.

From the perspective of the people of Shenyu, the entire world (Nine Realms System) is supported by the World Tree.

It is a mysterious force, interspersed among the stars, like a luxuriant tree with countless branches.

The nine worlds, including Asgard, are respectively located in the trunk, crown, branches, and several roots of the World Tree. The mysterious power from the World Tree runs through these nine worlds, forming a huge world. Overall.

This statement is very similar to a misty myth, but all previous god kings have the power of the World Tree, which proves that the World Tree that cannot be seen by people is real.

Despite its existence, it remains an unsolved mystery in Asgard, a place of advanced science and magic.

It is said that this secret is only known to the god-kings of all ages, and the origin of Asgard's magic, that is, the runes, was also learned when the first-generation god-kings drank the spring of wisdom and saw the mysteries of the World Tree.

The god kings of all dynasties are people with both strength and wisdom. In other words, they are all top fighters and spellcasters.

Including Odin too.

Although the old god king didn't like to cast rune magic very much, and always used the endless power of lightning to solve problems, but he was indeed a master of rune magic.

We're almost there.

On the road from the origin peak of Jotunheim to the valley between the mountains, Jane Foster, riding on the saddle of the Teeth Gritter, looked into the distance. The blessing of Thor's godhead gave Jane excellent eyesight.

She said to Thor who rode beside him on the Teeth Grinder:

I saw a giant in that valley. It didn't welcome us. Both Heimdall and Sif were blocked from the valley.

That's Mimir, the guardian of the Fountain of Wisdom.

Little Loki, who was riding with Thor, raised his head and said to Jane:

It is the last blood of the holy giant, guarding the water of wisdom day and night, although there is a legend that every lucky person in the city can drink water from the spring of wisdom.

But in fact, Mimir will only allow the blood of the Odin family to get close to the spring.

It reached an agreement with Odin's ancestors, allowing the future king to find wisdom from the spring, but in exchange, the Asgardians must guard the territory of the World Tree for generations.

Little Rocky glanced at little Hella sitting behind Jane, and he said:

That's a very old legend, and even many Asgardians regard it as nonsense.

Some idiots think that all they need to do to get on the throne is to kill Odin, but in fact, the steps to become the king of the gods are very cumbersome.

That's not just the seemingly sacred throne, it represents a deeper meaning.

Who are you talking about!

Although little Hella is playful occasionally, her mind is very useful. She bared her teeth at Little Loki fiercely, and said:

It's enough to kill Odin! I don't need any fountain of wisdom, and I can become a queen!

You're just dreaming.

Little Rocky retorted without timidity:

Even if you kill Odin and sit on the throne, you will not be able to sit still. If you don't drink the water of wisdom, the World Tree will resist you and cannot mobilize the power of the star field. If there is any disturbance, you will be kicked out go.

Your so-called rebellion, in the eyes of Odin back then, was probably like a child's play.

Little Rocky seemed to be deliberately irritating little Hella, and he taunted fiercely:

He didn't want you to be king at all, otherwise you should also know the legend about the Fountain of Wisdom and the World Tree, but in fact you don't know!

You little devil, what nonsense! Be careful that I tear your mouth apart!

Little Hela screamed, and little Loki snorted without showing any weakness. He crossed his arms, looked at Hela's small body, and said:

Aren't you also a little devil who was tricked by Merlin, and you still have the nerve to talk about me.

Seeing that the two 7- and 8-year-old children were about to fight together, Thor hurriedly raised his hand and covered Loki's mouth with the silver-white mechanical prosthetic limb, and Jane over there also hugged the cat-like Little Hella.

Stop arguing.

Thor discouraged:

It's a family, and it's a moment to unite.

Thor!

There was a scream from the wind and snow ahead, and immediately after, Sif jumped out of the wind and snow.

The female general, who was always heroic, threw herself into Thor's arms in a delicate posture.

She once thought that she had lost Thor, and she hugged this man tightly, as if she wanted to rub him into her body.

Thor sneaked a glance at Jane, who was comforting the angry little Hella, and seemed to have not noticed it at all.

He patted Sif on the shoulder, and he could feel the emotion gushing out of this female warrior who grew up together at this time, the kind of emotion that became very pure after experiencing life and death.

This gave Thor a kind of warmth in his heart, just like when he saw Jane just now.

Thor, come here!

Holding the sword, Heimdall stood at the entrance of the valley leading to the Fountain of Wisdom. The brave general called Thor, who said a few words to Sif, and then stepped forward with the spear of eternity .

Mimir is waiting for you.

Heimdall said to Thor:

I told the giant about your visit, and it only allows you to go in alone.

Thor nodded, and he turned around to glance at the crowd behind him.

Little Loki raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up, while little Hila folded his arms and didn't even look at Thor.

They are relatives of Thor. Although there were always such and such things in the past, at this moment, they still accompanied Thor to this place.

Jane and Sif stood beside the two children. Sif was full of worry, while Jane, who was holding a warhammer, gave her an encouraging look.

It was as if the personalities of Jane and Sif had been reversed at this moment.

Thor waved to them. Under Heimdall's gaze, the prince, who had gone through vicissitudes and ups and downs in life, did not hesitate too much.

Leaning on the dusty Spear of Eternity, he strode into the valley of the Fountain of Wisdom.

It's like walking into a cloud door and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

What is in that valley is a secret that many people are curious about, but only the god kings of the past know the answer, and they never mention it.

Because, that is a secret that only the king can know.

———————

ha?

Thor stepped into the valley, he passed through the light clouds and mists, thinking that what appeared in front of his eyes would be a beautiful mountain and river with the fragrance of birds and flowers and the same four seasons.

But in the next second, among the twinkling stars, what he saw was a mass of beating stars.

He was standing among the shining stars, and he could only vaguely see the starlight turning into a rainbow, extending outward to infinity among these stars.

And when he raised his head, he could see the landscape made of starlight, and invisible shadows covered the starlight, like living things.

this...

Thor looked at the scene in front of him in surprise.

This was completely different from the fountain of wisdom he had imagined, but thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he hadn't said anything about it in his father's instructions.

The fountain of wisdom must be a spring of material level, right?

Thor also thought that the Fountain of Wisdom was located next to the second root of the World Tree. From this perspective, wouldn't the rainbow-like starlight in front of him be...

Yes, that is the second root of the World Tree.

A voice answered Thor's doubts.

The prince turned his head and saw a strange giant sitting cross-legged behind him.

It is about the same height as a frost giant, but its skin has a texture similar to that of an Asgardian, and it is wearing clothes made of emerald green vines.

With complete eyes and facial features, it looks quite majestic.

Thor noticed that there were beating runes everywhere on the giant's skin, giving it a sense of wisdom.

Few people are lucky enough to see the true face of the World Tree, and you are one of them, Thor Odinson.

The giant Mimir, sitting cross-legged among the stars, said to Thor in a calm voice:

Your father came here a few months ago, he told me that you would visit this place, and he chose you to be the next king of Asgardians, although it seems to me that you haven't done it yet. Get ready.

Yeah, I'm not ready yet.

Thor answered generously:

My heart is full of doubts, maybe you can answer them for me.

I'm not in charge of answering any of your questions.

The giant shook his head, pointed to the stars in front of him, and said to Thor:

The Fountain of Wisdom is there. It contains all the questions among the stars, and the answer to each question. You can find it yourself. This is also the last step for you to become a king.

Back then, your father obtained knowledge from the Fountain of Wisdom, but the burden of knowledge made Odin never smile again.

Mimir said eloquently:

In fact, in my opinion, Odin does not understand the role of knowledge, although that knowledge makes him the most powerful creature in the stars.

The giant shrugged and said kindly to Thor:

The purpose of pursuing knowledge is to seek wisdom, and the purpose of seeking wisdom is to explore truth.

Knowledge is just a tool, truth is the end.

Unfortunately, your father, like your ancestors, only stayed at the level of wisdom, and did not go deep into the truth.

He went further and further down the stubborn path derived from self-wisdom, and he didn't realize his fallacy until after you were born.

But he has already missed the only chance to escape, so he can only pin his hopes on you.

Thor frowned at the giant's evaluation of Odin.

He leaned on the spear of eternity and said to the giant:

The more you talk, the more confused I become.

It's okay, it's okay if you don't understand.

The giant waved his hand. It pointed to the sea of ​​stars in front of Thor. It said:

Go, go and listen to the Fountain of Wisdom, drink that water, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Thor wanted to ask more, but the mysterious giant Mimir stopped talking, like a stone, Thor had no choice but to turn around and walk closer to the place where the stars gathered in front of him.

He stepped into the starlight, which surrounded him like a living thing, but opened no way to him.

Thor knew it was a ritual.

Back then, his father gave him an eye in exchange for drinking the spring of wisdom. This is also the tradition of the kings of the domain of God.

It is not just a simple sacrifice, but also a meaning of exchange.

Only by giving up a part of the body can more wisdom be integrated into the individual.

Thor took a deep breath, and he put his hand over his left eye.

In the flash of the rune halo, intense pain erupted in his mind. Thor pushed the thing he was holding into the starlight. The moment his left eye dissipated, those satisfied starlight gathered and merged into Thor's body.

He lost an eye.

But the eyes are bright.

Countless pictures bloomed in front of Thor's eyes, and countless Thors were moving in that picture.

He sees himself with a hammer in hand, joining the Avengers in New York against the Chitauri invading.

He saw himself standing in the flames of the ruins of Asgard, his parents and family fell at his feet, and in a sea of ​​panic, Surtur roared and pierced the Twilight Branch into the land of God's Domain.

He saw himself and Loki fighting the awakened dark elves in a desolate world, and saw Loki being killed by the dark elves.

He also saw himself being knocked to the ground by Thanos holding the Infinity Gauntlet, and most of the Asgardian residents who followed him were slaughtered by purple flames.

He saw another one-eyed self holding a storm howling battle ax and beheading Thanos in a fit of rage, with Carol, Tony, Steve, and Natasha by his side.

There are more pictures, more unimaginable stories, and Thor bathed in thunder is fighting in every picture.

These images are so real, as if Thor experienced it himself.

But in fact he has never experienced these...

Thor also noticed that in these pictures, everyone he knew, including Hela who slaughtered the entire Asgard, but there was no trace of Merlin at all.

Ravens never seemed to show up.

These are me, all Thor Odinson.

Thor looked at the picture shining like a stream of light in front of him, and he had a wonderful understanding.

Countless worlds, countless destinies, countless Thors, everything I see should be the path of destiny that Thor walks...

But I didn't walk any of them.

My fate has been changed.

Thor said softly, and all the pictures froze at the same time, turning into flying stars and dissipating. In that light, he saw the scene when he and Merlin first met.

Under the sunshine of San Van Gonzale, a desert town in Texas, he saw Merlin for the first time, and the waves of fate emerged at that time.

At this time, looking at his memories from a third-party perspective, Thor's eyes fell on Merlin at the beginning, as if another picture scroll was opened.

In the flashing light of the stars, Thor saw the trajectory of Merlin's life.

It's upside down.

From the moment he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. all the way forward, the life that Merlin has never told anyone else goes back all the way.

In 1973, during the fire in Wisconsin, Thor saw the mysterious figure appearing in the flames, holding the newly born Merlin in his arms.

The screen freezes here.

Starlight seems to be waiting for Thor to make a decision.

Do you want to keep scrolling forward.

Do you want to make up your mind to step into the realm that no one has ever been to, and truly see through the secrets of the origin and end of these stars?

Thor hesitated.

In the process of drinking the spring of wisdom, he had a premonition.

If he goes one step further, he will become the second creature after Merlin to know the ultimate mysteries of the stars.

The starlight is surging, the secret of the original rune has been opened to Thor, and the power of the World Tree is slowly being blessed, and he has completed the purpose of this trip.

It's okay to stop there.

All secrets come at a price, and Thor knows that.

He looked at the still light in front of him, and once he stepped into it, he couldn't turn back.

But Merlin and his royal father spent so much energy secretly to send him here at this time, which also means that they want him to see the truth.

So, do you want to read on?

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